The Last of Eden

Frederick Warne, 1980

"Relationships are never easy or safe or certain," an
astute counselor tells Michelle Caine. But for "Mike" the
warning doesn't seem to apply to herself and her best friend and roommate,
Marty. Turnbull Hall is a kind of Eden, where warmth and loyalty and
friendship provide all the benefits of family.

During their
sophomore year the girls spiritedly contend with the trials of life in a
tradition-steeped boarding school. As Mike pursues her writing and Marty
develops her art with a brilliant new teacher, their personal Eden seems
secure. But a serpent has crept into Turnbull Hall - into the chapel and
their classrooms, the residence and the hockey field - and for Mike, the
illusion of safety doesn't last the year.

Stephanie S. Tolan has
written a perceptive and powerful novel about friendship and loss and,
ultimately, about the need to believe in oneself.